Nick Clegg will urge his party to stick with the coalition and insist the government is on a path to prosperity, when he addresses Lib Dems today.
In his end-of-conference-speech, the deputy prime minister will also pledge extra money for 110,000 children struggling with maths and English.
And he will warn the party's efforts to reform the country are "far from over".
The speech comes amid poor opinion poll ratings and reports of growing policy disagreements with the Conservatives.
The Lib Dems' annual conference, in Brighton, comes roughly half-way through the intended life of the coalition.
During his speech, Mr Clegg will present the Liberal Democrats as an established "party of government" which is both a force for "fairness" and social mobility.
He will also argue the party has "mettle" and has not been "found wanting" in power.
'Whatever it takes'It is with this theme in mind that Mr Clegg will announce that secondary schools in England are to receive an extra �500 to help with every pupil arriving in year seven having slipped behind in English and maths at primary school.
He will say: "If you're a parent whose child has fallen behind, who fears they might get lost in that daunting leap from primary to secondary school, and who is worried by talk about making exams tougher, let me reassure you: we will do whatever it takes to make sure your child is not left behind.
"A place in a summer school, catch-up classes, one-to-one tuition: we are providing the help they need. So, yes, we're raising the bar, but we're ensuring every child can clear it too."
The government announced last week that it would replace GCSEs with an English Baccalaureate Certificate from 2017.
A Lib Dem spokesman said the �55m for underperforming 11-year-olds, which will come in from next January, would help improve results. The money could fund 14 hours of extra one-to-one coaching for a pupil, he added, with schools deciding how to spend it.
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The additional funding for this group of pupils is very welcome and we are pleased that the decision about how best to use the money is being left to secondary schools."
'Journeys'Some opinion polls put the Lib Dems below 10%, with several Conservative MPs accusing the party of wanting to move away from the coalition's commitment to cutting the budget deficit. But Mr Clegg and his colleagues say this is not the case.
Last week, he apologised for breaking a pre-election pledge not to support any rise in tuition fees - which ended up almost trebling in some universities in England under the coalition.
Mr Clegg is expected to mention this in his address.
Broadening out the themes, the Lib Dem leader will say the party faces two "journeys" - in government and as a political force - warning: "Neither will be easy. And neither will be quick. But it will be worth it. And be in no doubt. If we secure our country's future, we will secure our own."
Mr Clegg will add: "I am proud of the resolve we Liberal Democrats have shown over the last two and a half years. We've had some real disappointments: tough election results; a bruising referendum.
"But throughout it all, we have remained focused, determined, disciplined. It hasn't always been easy, and, when we've made mistakes, we've put our hands up."
'Confounded'In a dig at some Conservatives, he will insist: "But we've stuck to our task - and to the coalition agreement - even as others have wavered.
"The received wisdom, prior to the election, was that we wouldn't be capable of making the transition from opposition to government. The choices would be too sharp, the decisions too hard. The Liberal Democrats, it was said, are a party of protest, not power.
"Well, two years on, the critics have been confounded. Our mettle has been tested in the toughest of circumstances, and we haven't been found wanting."
He will add: "I know that there are some in the party - some in this hall even - who, faced with several more years of spending restraint, would rather turn back than press on...
"It's an alluring prospect in some ways. Gone would be the difficult choices, the hard decisions, the necessary compromises. And gone too would be the vitriol and abuse, from right and left, as we work every day to keep this government anchored in the centre ground.
"But, conference, I tell you this. The choice between the party we were, and the party we are becoming, is a false one. The past is gone and it isn't coming back. If voters want a party of opposition - a 'stop the world I want to get off' party - they've got plenty of options, but we are not one of them.
"There's a better, more meaningful future waiting for us. Not as the third party, but as one of three parties of government."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19713035#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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